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Breaking news: 911 phone lines down statewide

Updated at 6:28 a.m.: Service has been restored to Lewis County; citizens are advised they may call directly to 911 now if they have an emergency.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 911 service outage is affecting Lewis County and all of Washington.

For emergencies, the public is advised to call the business phone number of the dispatch center for the area in which they live. In Lewis County, that number is 1-360-740-1105.

It’s not clear what caused it or when it might be restored but it’s widespread, according to Lewis County Director of Central Services Mike Strozyk.

“Well, they’re down in the entire state, maybe also in eastern Idaho and northern Oregon,” Strozyk said. “It may be a switching problem in Oregon, according to Century Link.”

The problem began here a little before 1 o’clock this morning, he said.

Locally, they’ve asked all the fire departments around the county to be staffed, in case anyone walks in needing help, according to Strozyk.

They’ve notified other agencies such as law enforcement, he said.

Strozyk said the communications center has implemented its procedures for such a situation and has been processing calls through the night via its business number.

“We’re just waiting to hear more on a timeline for repairs, or when it’s reactivated,” Strozyk said about 4 o’clock this morning.

The Lewis County 911 Center in Chehalis answers emergency calls and dispatches emergency services to all cities, towns and areas throughout the county.

The business line for Thurston County is 360-704-2740. For Cowlitz County, the number is 360-577-3098.

Jennifer Ducummon, public education coordinator for Lewis County 911, provided a link to a website for a public safety communications organization showing business phone numbers [1] for all around the state.

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For more, read “CenturyLink service glitch blocks 911 calls” from The Seattle Times on Thursday April 10, 2014 at 6:59 .m., here [2]